Kona has been slowly but surely releasing sneak peeks of their 2012 mountain line up on the Kona Cog, and while we’ve covered a lot of them, some like this production version of the new King Kahuna Carbon 29er have snuck by. Kona’s first carbon 29er hardtail features a proprietary carbon weave, 142x12mm rear axle, tapered headtube, along with a smart part spec. Rest assured, the new King Kahuna will beg to be ridden fast.

PRESS RELEASE: The European Patent Office has notified Trek Bicycle that its patent application on its Active Braking Pivot (ABP) suspension system (which is already patented in the United States #7,837,213) has been approved and will soon mature into a patent in Europe.

Invented by Trek suspension engineers James Colegrove, Dylan Howes, and Jose Gonzalez, ABP has been praised for being the first suspension technology to effectively separate braking and suspension forces. This separation allows the suspension to remain active while the rear brake is engaged.

ABP, utilizing a concentric rear pivot, was first introduced to the marketplace in May of 2007 and has since evolved to become the foundation of Trek’s full-suspension bikes, offered on eight platforms to date.

From its origins in 2006 to today’s full suspension lineup, Active Braking Pivot remains a competitive performance advantage found exclusively on Trek and Trek’s Gary Fisher Collection full-suspension mountain bikes. It’s a symbol of Trek’s commitment to leading the world in mountain bike technology.

Ridden hard and put away dirty. I’m probably not alone in describing my road bike, which sees near-daily commuting use, in this way. With a commute that includes potholed streets, glass-strewn shoulders, and thorn-infested dirt, tires are the most abused part on a generally abused bicycle. For the past few years, I’ve been happy to rely on Michelin’s Krylion Carbon tires to get me to work and (more importantly) home. Hit ‘more’ to learn more about the puncture-resistant tires’ ins and outs…

There have been all kinds of rumors, spy photos, and a much hyped practice run, but now it’s official. Trek has been working on, and now Gwin has won on a new carbon fiber prototype Trek Session. Gwin’s latest win is part of a 3 win streak, out of only 4 starts. Even though this was Gwin’s first race aboard the carbon Session, it didn’t seem to hinder him as he crushed the course at Mont Sainte Anne after a wet start to the weekend.

“It’s hardly a secret that we’ve been working on a new bike with Aaron,” said Michael Browne, Trek’s Global Mountain Bike Brand Manager. “He’s been on the bike a few times and obviously felt confident enough after a few runs to race it. It’s exciting to watch this incredible season unfold along with the development of a new racing machine.”

The prototype carbon Session featured the number 9.9 on the head tube, likely meaning it will adhere to a similar naming structure as Trek’s other carbon mountain bikes with 9.9 being the top end carbon model. The only other stand out feature easily visible from the picture is the inclusion of Carbon Armor molded to the downtube. More when we have it.

Not to be left out, Tracy Moseley also won at Mont Sainte Anne aboard her team issue Session, which has recently been reported stolen! Keep an eye out for a TWR Trek Session, and maybe a load of Fox Racing Shox parts as well. Thieves suck.